Umbrella Academy imagines
by secondhand-trash
Summary: Mediocre reader inserts that exists purely for my own indulgence, requests are always open:)
1. Ben Hargreeves- Family

__Playlist:__

__Fallingforyou/The 1975__

__Mystery of Love/Sufjan Stevens__

__Only Us/OBC of Dear Evan Hansen__

__Still Into You/Paramore__

* * *

Never in a million years did you think that you would ever come back to this god damn house.

Ever since you could remember, your parents always told you that there was something strange about the man who lived across the street. He adopted seven children out of no where(_"Apparently those children were born on the same day to women who had no signs of pregnancy beforehand," your mother scoffed, "as if that's even possible."_) and tried to trained them into becoming this group of crime fighting superhumans(_"That man is out of his mind," your father exclaimed, "those are children!"_). And so like the sensible parents they claimed to be, they warned you to stay away from 'that Hargreeves man' and his 'Umbrella Academy'.

And naturally, like any child would, you did the exact opposite of what they told you to.

It was not on purpose, you never intented to wander near the Hargreeves' house one day when you went home from school(despite the fact that you might be able to get home a lot earlier if you hadn't, but as we said before, it was unintentional), you did not plan to talk to one of the kids that lived there(Number six, as you heard his father called him, very odd way to call your child but you guessed that it must have meant that he was the sixth oldest among the seven of them) and you most certainly did not return every day after that just to talk to the boy again(it was simply out of chances that he was there the moment you walked by, at least that' s what you told them when your parents question you at the table).

As days passed and your small conversations got longer each time, you learned that he indeed has a name("It's Ben, actually." he said when you asked him, fidgeting with his hands as he speak) and the numbers were not actually an indication to the their order of birth. You two got closer as days past and he started to tell you more about the Academy. He told you all about his family, about the missions they went on. Curiously, you asked "So you guys all have powers, right?"

Ben nodded softly and you said, "can you show me yours?" He did not say anything, lowering his head and looked away from you instead. "You don't want to see it," he said after staying silence for a while, "it'll scare you away."

You did not question him any further and neither one of you said anything else that day. Sitting next to him in silence, you secretly decided that you would not allow yourself to ever be afraid of Ben, no matter what his power was. It was years later when he finally dared to show you what he was capable of doing and you kept the promise you made to yourself. Upon seeing how nervous he was to see your reaction, you pulled him into a tight hug and reassured him that it did not affect how you feel about him, you had no idea how much he appreciated it.

Days soon became years and the children who talked in front of the doorsteps everyday slowly grew up. You didn't think anything would change at first, Ben was still your best friend and you two still talked about everything. But then you started to notice that something did change. You found yourself grinning like an idiot at everything he said and you noticed small details that you never paid attention to, like the way he hums whenever he thinks that no one could hear him. It soon came to a point when you realised that you may or may not have fallen head over heels for your best friend. Admitting that to yourself, you soon noticed the many subtle signs that he may or may not have loved you back.

You distinctly remembered the first time he held your hand. It was a cozy autumn afternoon and you were watching the leaves fell in the garden with Ben. You were in your own word when you felt Ben gingerly putting his hand on yours. You looked up at him and smiled. With flushed cheeks, he looked away while gently grabbing your hand in his. You couldn't help but chuckle and softly pulled your hand out. Ben reluctantly turned his head back at you, a flash of hurt in his eyes. However, his frown soon lifted and turned into a sheepish grin as you fully intertwined your hand with his.

There was no doubt that you went from friends to lovers at that very moment and it was like that's how things were ought to be. Ben sneaked out at night to be with you whenever he could and you made sure that you always had your windows opened for him. You two didn't get to do much stuff that couples usually do on dates but it was enough for you just being with him, talking about everything and anything in your room until daybreak.

Despite your best attempt to keep it a secret, it didn't take long for his siblings to discover that you two got together. You were just about to leave the Academy after being with Ben during the 30 minutes of free time he had each week(a ridiculously short period of time, you would say).

"I'll try to see if I can come over tonight, ok?"Ben said, holding your hand. "Ok." You smiled and leaned in to give him a soft peck. Clearly not satisfied, Ben pulled you towards him and kissed you much more firmly on the lips. You chuckled at his rare initiation for affection and kissed him back when the moment was ruined by a loud bang on the door.

"Hey Ben, do you hav.. Ohmygodimsosorry!" You snapped your head to the door just in time to see Klaus running down the corridor in such a frantic manner that you couldn't help but laugh.

Ben whispered in embarrassment, "I hope he won't tell anyone about.."

"GUYS! BEN HAS A GIRLFRIEND!"

"Never mind."

Although his siblings teased you relentlessly(it was all in good fun, a bit annoying to have six people doing that though) and you could sense the obvious disapproval from Reginald Hargreeves(at this point, you refused to acknowledge him as their father because despite fulfilling his duty as a caregiver, no father would ever treat his child the way he did), your relationship was strong even when you became adults. You did not hesitate even for a little bit when he took out a ring from his shirt pocket and asked you to marry him. The wedding was small and only attended by close family and friends. Your parents were skeptical of Ben at first(and quite shocked that you had been going against their orders for so long without them noticing) but soon came to accept it when they saw how happy you were with him. Reginald, on the other hand, did not even show up at the wedding. It upset Ben greatly, that he had done whatever his father asked of him yet still not earning his approval. That was the moment he decided that it might be time to move on and stop circling his life around his father's wishes.

You two were 20 by the time you got married. Moving into your own place right away, life got rough and paying the bills could be a struggle sometimes but it was all worth it to be by each other's side. His siblings would call every once in a while(mostly Klaus and Vanya, occasionally Allison would come by as well) and you would sometimes passed by the old building when you visit your parents at your childhood home but you never step back into the Academy.

It wasn't until Reginald Hargreeves's death that you finally returned to where everything started.

Sitting in the grand living room, you held Ben's hand firmly as an attempt to comfort him. Reginald's death hit him hard and the awkward silence with all of his siblings did not help easing his nerves at all. "I guess we should get this started," Luther finally broke the silence as he stood up. He went on to talked about a ceremony and the others chimed in about some minor details. You tried to focus on what Luther had to say but you looked at Ben and could tell that he was clearly not listening. You gently squeezed his hand to which he gave you a weak smile and patted the back of your hand to assure you that he's ok.

"Listen up," Luther said and you turned your attention back to him, "we still have some important things that we've to discuss." He then turned to look at you, think in silence for a while and said, "I think it might be best that only family will hear about what we'll be saying next."

You stared back at him in disbelief, even a little bit hurt upon getting the hint that you were still an outsider despite being married to his brother for years. Klaus was not having none of it, "I mean technically in-laws are still part of the family, right? And let's not act like (y/n) haven't been around for ages now."

Ben was already in a bad mood and it only got worse upon hearing what Luther just said, "Even dad felt sick when he saw my powers and (y/n) didn't even do so little as flinch, I saw them as family way before the idea of marriage even crossed my mind." Ben said, trying his best to contain his annoyance. "I understand that you are concerned but I'm not having this conversation if you're excluding the one person who have been by my side throughout all these years."

Ben's anger shocked you, he was always so soft spoken and reserved that you didn't expect him to lash out on his brother(one that he looked up to for so long). Needless to say, his siblings definitely did not expect him to react so strongly and the conversation went dead. "I think (y/n) should stay." Allison said, nodding towards you slightly. Diego didn't say a word yet he made no move to oppose it either and Vanya bumble something about not leaving anyone out. Luther remained silent. Letting out a defeated sigh, "Ok, fine."

Later that night, you were alone with Ben in his old bedroom. You were unpacking your stuff on his bed when you felt a wave of nostalgia and you couldn't help but smile when you thought of how far you two had come. "Remember when Klaus caught us kissing right here?" You turned to Ben, relieved to see him smile when you brought up the incident. "How could I not," Ben said and sat down next to you, "they didn't stop talking about it for weeks." You two just sat together like that for a while and it reminded you of all those times when you were a kid.

"Earlier back there," you cupped his cheek as you said, "you didn't have to defend me like that, it's fine."

Ben leaned into your touch and reached up to hold your hand, "But you are family to me, I won't let anyone doubt that."

You stared into his eyes and was warmed by how determented he was. You leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. Pulling back, you chuckled at how he still blushes even after being together for years. Despite growing up, you could still see that young boy you fell in love with in the man in front of you. If only you knew that you would find a family in the boy who lived across the street many many years ago when you were just a young child looking for a friend.


	2. Five- A Guide to Understanding Love

**Description: ****Verified and recommended by his siblings, robotic mother and chimp caregiver(?), this is the best guide(since there is only one) to understanding how Five Hargreeves' expresses love.**

__Playlist:__

__When The Day Met The Night/Panic! At the Disco__

__Perfect For You/Next to Normal__

__Making Love Out of Nothing At All/Air Supply__

* * *

Here's the thing, love can be very confusing to understand. Even more confusing when the person involved was a time travelling assassin who spent 45 years in a post-apocalypse world with a mannequin being his only company. Things got even more complicated considering that said person travelled back in time to stop the apocalypse with his highly dysfunctional family, all of which suffered from severe childhood trauma. To sum up, the person(at this point the reader of this guide should probably be informed that when we said 'person', we are talking about Five Hargreeves) has no experience with being romantically involved with a living, breathing human(he would argue that the mannequin was responsive to him, to which you would nod and try your very best to resist making any remarks that might come out as offensive). This guide is here for you, our dear reader who happens to end up in a relationship with this man under unknown circumstances that we will neither question nor judge since we already expect it to be rather strange(after all, it is Five you are dating), to understand Five Hargrevees' many ways of expressing love.

1\. No, don't expect him to tell you directly

You see, words hold different meaning to different people. To some, it might be the most sacred words in the whole wide world while some people throw the phrase around like it's a simple greeting. What we're trying to say is, no matter how you feel about saying "I love you", don't be too hurt/shocked/bewildered when he don't say it back. After all, that man was raised under a harsh condition and direct expressions of affection really wasn't something that he got to receive very often. The many years of complete isolation from human contact and countless cases of murder did not help with our case at all. Therefore, if you were expecting direct verbal expressions, we are sorry to inform you that you will be very disappointed.

However, this does not mean that there are no signs of love and affection in his words. For instance, you might notice by now that he makes sure to greet you every morning when he sees you at the table. Although it might seems like a mundane thing to do, we would like to point out that he barely acknowledge his siblings' presence on a daily basis i.e. he does not bother to.

Take for example, that morning when Klaus came over. You walked down to the halls with the aroma of coffee in the air. You moved in with Five after dating him for a while and he always wakes up before you do, making sure that he does not disturb your sleep when he gets up(we would like to point out that this too, is a sign of love from him, see point 3 for further elaboration). You walked into the dining hall, surprised to see that instead of Five, it was his brother Klaus sitting at the table instead.

"Why good morning, future in-law." You smiled at the way he addressed you, you do find Klaus to be a joyful company and it feels nice knowing that he accepts your existence in his brother's life.

"Good morning to you too, Klaus." "I'm just here to see if Five can help me with... Oh! Here he is," Klaus turned to look at your boyfriend who just entered the room with a jar of coffee in hand, "Morning, dear brother!"

You tried to hold back your wide grin, the over-the-top formality was almost reaching a comedic level. Five did not response to his brother's cheery greeting. He walked over to your side and sat down next to you, mumbling a soft "good morning" in the process.

"Morning Five," you replied, "did not sleep well last night?" He hummed softly in between his sips of caffeine, giving you the answer you needed. You chuckled, "Klaus is here." Five briefly looked up from his mug and poured himself another cup of coffee.

The three of you sat in silence with only the sound of him slurping his drink. "Wait," he finally said after finishing his forth cup of coffee, "how long has Klaus been here?"

"Five, I swear to..."

You see, it is kind of like in The Princess Bride where "As you wish" held the same meaning to "I love you." Well, we cannot argue that "Good morning" is nearly as romantic as that but, um, it's the thought that counts we suppose.

2\. He watches you a lot

Hm, that came out a lot creepier than we intended to. We swear that it is a lovely gesture on his behalf.

Now that we have point that out, you might recall that he does have habit of glancing at you ever so often. Whether you are right next to him or in another room. You might suspect that it is out of old habit from when he had to be observant of his surroundings to survive. Truth is, he simply likes watching you. No matter how much time he have spent with you, he continues to find your every move to be fascinating.

Move things forward and you'll remember you first noticed that on a rainy day. It was pleasant, sitting on a couch with a book in your hands(Jane Austen? If you remember), hearing the raindrops tapped on the windows as you slowly flipped through the pages. Five was sitting next to you, a newspaper in hand(you like to make fun of how much his daily habits resembles those of an old man, to that he would scoff and protest that he did live a long life before).

Sometimes, you wished that you could spend every day like that. Hurdling a blanket on the couch, reading a book all while leaning on your boyfriend's arm. Hearing the sound of the rain along with the soft noise of paper by your ears. You were so lost in your book that you did not even notice that the louder, heavier sound of newsprint stopped. Sensing how stiff your waist was from the lazy posture, you put down the book to stretch your arms. You got up from the couch to find Five's eyes fixed on you. "What are you looking at?" you jokingly said, resting your chin on his shoulder.

To your surprise, he did not try to brush it off with a witty comeback or pretend to be annoyed like you expected. Instead, he looked right into your eyes, "You." Feeling the heat creeping up on your face, you smacked his arm playfully and got up. Out of the corner of your eyes, you saw the corner of his lips tucked up ever so slightly.

3\. He had a hard life, but he is trying

Even Five could not deny that he is messed up.

He never got to experience growing up, he simply aged. And no matter how hard he tried to mask it with his tough demeanor, there was no denying that all the things he had been forced into took a toll on him.

Five Hargreeves is by no means a gentle person. He could be impulsive, short tempered at times but he is trying to be better, he is trying to be better for you. Maybe you can see it in how he tried his very best to not wake you up in the morning as he knew that you stayed up too late watching that new show online or letting you hog the entire blanket in bed because he knows that you hate the cold. He is still trying to get used to not having to be defensive all the time, but at least he is trying.("You're making me soft." "What's wrong with being soft?" "It's weak." "You're not weak, Five. In fact, you're the strongest person I have ever known." "See, this is exactly what I meant.")

There is a lot more we could discuss here, like how he always leave the lights on in the hallway when you are out late or that he would let his arms linger on your shoulder when you are pulling away from a hug. It is not much, some gestures might be so small that you could not even notice. But no matter how infuriating he could be and how oblivious you both are to the small signs of affection in each others' every move, there is no doubt that he is truly, deeply in love with you. And that is something that you do not need a guide to tell you about.


	3. Five- Proposal

****Description: He wanted to get married, you did not. ****

****Warning: Blood, fighting?****

__Playlist:__

__Loving is Easy/Rex Orange County__

__All Out of Love/Air Supply__

__Summertime/My Chemical Romance__

* * *

"Marry me."

"No."

You put the book you were reading down onto your lap and looked up to see your very unimpressed boyfriend.

You two were assigned partners in the Commission. Being a well-trained assassin before being recruited, you were one of the most skilled in the organization and was beyond annoyed to be paired up when you were doing fine on your own. At first, you couldn't stand Five but came to develop a liking towards him after going on multiple missions together, being more empathetic after learning what he had been through. You hated to mention it as you felt that it boosts his ego way too much, but being the more powerful one out of the two of you(he did have an upper hand, superpower and all), he did save your life on multiple occasions.

You were 50 and he was 58 when you went on the mission to stop the assassination of Kennedy. You soon noticed that he wasn't paying attention to the mission at all and you confronted him about it.("Five, our target is getting close to where we need him to be. Can you just stop flipping through that notebook for a second and focus? It's really unlike you to..." "Shush. I'm almost there, almost done...") It ended up with him pulling you into the portal with him. The next thing you knew, you crashed onto the ground, shocked to see that both you and Five had the body of a child. Obviously, you were infuriated but eventually joined in on Five's plan to stop the apocalypse with his siblings. You were glad to say that the plan did work, no one knew for sure that there is no more apocalypse in the future but at least everything seemed fine for the moment being. No longer having to kill people for a living and regaining the youth you had long lost, you got to experience the joy(pain) of growing into an adult all over again, this time in a modern world and with new friends. It didn't took long for your relationship with Five to develop into something most certainly more than platonic.

And that's how you ended up right where you were at. Trying to read a book on a sunny afternoon at the building that used to be the Umbrella Academy, when Five suddenly tells you to marry him.

"And why, exactly?" "We're a mess, Five." You said and Five rolled his eyes, walking away from you.

Sensing his annoyance, you quickly got up and followed him down the corridor towards the bar. You went in to see him picking up a bottle of tequila and you instantly cover the glass he was holding in his other hand. "Five, put that down." He turned his gaze from the liquor to you, putting the items down and crossed his arms in front of his chest. You sat down across from him and stared back at him, resting your head on your palm, waiting for him to say something.

"Was it something I do?" Five questioned, looking more defeated and confused than frustrated now. You regretted your bluntness earlier. You hated seeing him like this, feeling so guilty knowing that you caused the pain that he tried so hard to conceal yet you stood by your answer. "No, it wasn't you," you reached out to touch his cheek, "We both went through so much. You got stuck in the apocalypse all by yourself for decades, no don't give me that look pretending to be all tough and whatnot, I know how much it affected you. I was literally raised to be a killing machine who does not know anything but how to kill. It was all I know and now that I don't have to do that anymore, I'm lost." The young man furrowed his eyebrows, "And how does that correlate to what I was asking you?"

"It's just... you know?" you struggled to find the right words, "For once, everything is so peaceful. No more killing, no more assassination, no more apocalypse yet I feel so out of place, so.. without a purpose. I don't want to go into marriage with that kind of emotional burden, there's so many stuff we have to work on. I don't know how to put it in words but I just don't feel ready and..." "Alright, I get it." Five stopped you from rambling, a forced smile plastered on his face, "Forget that I've said anything." With that, he teleported away, leaving you alone in the bar.

The following days were torturous. He made a point to let you know that he was ignoring you on purpose, teleporting pass you every time he wanted to walk past you. Five avoided all kinds of interaction with you, not even a simple "good morning" at the table. The silent treatment was driving you insane, especially when you two live in the same building. You two had fought before, but never for this long. It hurts but you couldn't help from being frustrated as well.

"You can't just ignore me, Five." You said to the man sitting on the far end of the table who was mindlessly stirring his cup of coffee. He looked up and gave you a cold stare for a second before turning his gaze back to the black liquid. You sighed, "Come on, Five! Just give me a response, anything!" Nothing, not even a glare this time. "Fine," You threw your hands in the air in defeat, "I'll stop bothering you." Shoving the chair back, you got up and walked away from the table.

"I don't understand your reluctance towards marriage," the voice stopped you in your tracks. "The last time we had this conversation, it ended up with you ignoring me for days." You turned back to look at Five, folding your arms in front of your chest as you recall the last time you talked to him. "Well," Five said bitterly with a mocking grin on his lips, "I'm not sure if you noticed but when you proposed to someone and got rejected, feeling hurt is a completely normal reaction."

"I've told you, I don't feel like I'm ready for it yet." You said, a hint of frustration in your tone. After knowing Five for so long, you had come to realize that his experiences in life made him stubborn and target-focused, you did find it to be a loveable trait sometimes but right now, it simply felt like he was not listening to anything you had said. "I'm not saying that your concern is invalid but I just don't see how that has to do with anything." Five said, propping himself up by placing his arm on the table. He seemed so calm and collected, too nonchalant that it was almost forced. It was the silence before the storm and you could sense that he was starting to loose patience, you two read each other like a book after years of companionship. The annoyance in his tone almost ticked you off. "Five, I do want to marry you," you said, "and we will get married one day, just not now. Not while there are so many things we need to figure out."

"You're avoiding my question."

"Why are you rushing this?" you said, raising your voice without noticing. Five snapped, "Why can't you see that this could be our chance at happiness?" You were taken back by his burst of anger, the shock was soon replaced by your own annoyance. "Did you even listen to anything I said?" you bite back. He let out a dry laugh, "Yeah, and I don't see how that makes any sense." You were lost at words, he didn't seem to pay much attention and carried on, "We finally stopped the apocalypse and for once, everything is at peace. Like you said, no more killing, no more Commission here to give us orders. Why should it matter that we are messed up? We have each other!" As sweet as that sounds, it disturbed you way more than such a confession should. "Marriage is a commitment and getting married means sharing a life, relying on nothing but another person is not healthy I-"

"I can't lose you." It came out like a roar. Both of you froze in place. Five sighed and his shoulder sank, "You are the one good thing I have and I can't live with the thought of losing you. Which is why I am asking you this right now, marry me." You stared your lover who looked so small, the shadow of the old man who went into the battlefield with you hidden deep in his eyes. Neither one of you were ready. "My god, listen to us," you said with an almost trembling voice, "we can't even talk about marriage without getting into an argument. How are we suppose to get married?" "(y/n)..." "Our issues won't just go away if we get married. A happy marriage takes work, it takes communication." you paused as you felt tears welling up in your eyes, "I can't marry you when we are like this. I'm sorry, Five" He tried to say something, but you didn't give him the chance and walked out the room.

"Agnes, I feel like a bitch." you mumbled while you rest you head on the counter. You needed to sort things out and being in awkward silence with Five did not seem like a good option. So you headed out for your favourite spot in town(Five brought you here first, but you got so hooked on the doughnuts that you ended up visiting on your own all the time). The waitress put down a plate and gave you a soft smile, "I'm sure he'll understand. Getting married is a big deal, you should always respect the other person's opinion no matter where they are coming from." You looked up and sighed, "If only he understands. I have no idea how I'm suppose to go back and face him." "He'll come to his senses, you two always manage to sort things out after you fight." "Sure, but things are different this-" You held onto your mug as you speak when you saw a shadow of what seems like a person flickering from its reflection. You moved it slightly towards the light source to get a clearer image. Your heart skipped a beat as you finally make out what the shadow was. Gunman, and more than one.

"Hide in the back room." you quickly whispered to Agnes, trying not to move as to avoid suspicion. "What? But I-" "Just do it," you muttered, "lock the door and don't come out." Agnes was confused but did as you told her to reluctantly. You could feel your palms sweating as you clenched your jaw, there was only one reason to explain why gunmen were here. The Commission wanted you dead.

Upon regaining your youth, your physical abilities were better than the time you worked as one of them but you were out of training. It had been a while since you last had to fight someone, let alone a group of armed fighters. But there was no choice but to act on your instincts as you heard the sound of the doors opening and the clicks of the trigger. Sliding a knife in between you fingers, you spun around to face the group of men pointing their guns at you. You recognized each and every single one of them, you trained some of them yourself. They were good, but you were better.

Without a single thought, you sprint towards the closest man and knocked his gun off his hand. There was no time for thinking and you did what years of experience taught you to do. Quick movements, no hesitation, no mercy. It was a tough fight, you were more skilled but outnumbered. But the blade had yet to lose its edge and the group of men were now lying lifelessly on the floor. You could taste the copper tang in your mouth as you pant, a sharp pain spiked through your body and you hissed in pain. You put your hand on your waist only to pull back and saw it covered in blood. One of those bastards must have hit but you were too focused to notice right away. You tried to move towards the door but your breathing got heavier. Your legs gave in and you collapsed on the floor. The last thing you saw was a flash of blue light before your vision gone black.

The light almost hurt your eyes when you woke up and you had to fight to force them open. Lying on what seems to be a bed, you tried to get up but yelped at the pain in your waist. "Careful." a pair of arms supported your back and slowly helped you lay back down. You turned to see a very concerned Five by the side of the bed.

"How did I get back?" "Agnes called me, I heard the fighting and got there immediately. I arrived to see you on the ground, covered in blood." "Oh." you whispered, staring at the ceiling. "You're reckless for going into a fight against so many people WEAPONLESS." he said, widening his eyes as he emphasized on the last word. "Well," you said matter of factly, "they were blocking the door and most of us normal people would need to physically walked through an exit to leave a place. Would be convenient if I could teleport though." Five let out a humph and rolled his eyes in a mocking manner. You smiled, relieved to see that at least he was responding to your jokes again.

Five's expression returned to a more serious one, he pursed his lips and opened his mouth hesitantly, "About earlier," he avoided your eyes, a sign of doubt that was rare to see on him, "I'm sorry for pushing you to do something you don't want to." You tried to say something, that you were sorry too but he stopped you. "I never got to have a 'normal' life and with the peace that I have now, I'm so afraid to lose it again that I wanted some sort of… some sort of reassurance that things are stable, and I figured that marriage would be the thing that could do that." He lowered his head in embarrassment and you reached out to push the hair out of his face, showing him that you get it and you did not blame him at all. "The Commission sent people after me, they'll sent people after you. They won't stop until they hunt us down." "Then we take them down," Five said, holding your hand in his, "the best of the best, fighting together." You chuckled. Looking into his eyes, you were reminded of the many reasons you fell in love with him in the first place, one of them being the way his eyes glisten when he speaks of things that he cares about. "I want to marry you," he said with his eyes fixed on you, "because you mean the world to me. We can do it tomorrow, next month, next year. Hell, next decade, I don't care. I'm ready whenever you are ready."

At this moment, you realized that you had found the purpose you were so desperately looking for. You wanted to grow old with this man, getting better and better each day. Whatever you set your mind on, you want him by your side as much as you want to be there for him.

"Five?"

"Hm?"

"Ask me again."

"Will you marry me...?"

"Yes."


	4. Diego Hargreeves- When He Sees Me

****Description: In which Allison tried to play matchmaker and set her best friend up with her brother.****

__(Don't have a playlist for this one because I literally based this on When He Sees Me from Waitress the Musical. Please go listen to it, PLEASE)__

* * *

"Remind me, which one of your siblings am I meeting again?"

You asked, anxiously studying your reflection in the mirror as your friend looks through your closet. "Diego. Knife boy? Does that ring a bell? No?" Allison sighed and put down the jacket she was holding up, "I know that I somehow forced you into this but at least try to remember your date's name?"

"I'm sorry, I'm just so nervous." you said apologetically. This was a bad idea, you knew it. You shouldn't have agreed on going on a blind date with Allison's brother in the first place and now it was too late to back out. She made it sound like such a good idea at that time. You were really really single, hadn't gone out with anyone since you broke up with your ex and he was getting over a heartbreak, equally single as you were. You kept trying to tell yourself that nothing could go wrong, just think of it as a casual night out, you could at least have some fun even if you ended up not hitting it off with the man.

But another part of your mind was just screaming at you to get yourself out of this before you do anything you might regret.

"Are you sure about this?" you turned to look at Allison after giving up on making your hair look any more presentable. She gave you a confused look, "What do you mean am I sure?"

"I mean," you sighed, "what if we really don't get along? Like, 'getting annoyed with each other immediately' not get along. Maybe he does not even want to meet someone new in the first place and we just sat there in complete silence for hours and like-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," Allison walked over and grabbed your shoulders, "calm down." You took a deep breath and she let go of your arms, "You were still looking forward to it when we talked about it yesterday and now you're full on panicking. Did something happened? Did someone said anything to you? Who do I need to talk to?"

"No, it wasn't that." You stopped your friend before she could make any more assumptions. "I just... I don't know... I have no idea what he is like but then I'm literally spending the entire night with him and so many things could go wrong! You know, blind dating can be very dangerous."

"Can't argue with that but you do remember that Diego is my brother right?" Allison said with her eyebrow raised, now looking at you with a hint of amusement.

"Adopted."

"That too but we still grew up together," she said, "besides, I won't just set you up with someone who is any less than trustworthy. You're my closest friend for god's sake and I care for you, a lot." You groaned and turned back to the mirror to fix your hair for what felt like the hundredth time.

"It's going to be fine, I promise!" Allison said, trying her best to sound excited, "And stop messing with your hair, it looks great already and you're not doing anything ruffling it like that."

"Please tell me you're not wearing this." Klaus said in horror as he passed by his brother's room and saw him in his usual clothes, that same black shirt with that damn harness, "You're going on a date! At least pretend like you've tried. I mean, the chance to meet someone who is into bondage is so much higher nowadays but still!"

"It's not anything special," Diego said and went out of his room, "It's just a blind date that Allison forced me to go on. What's the point in dressing up for something I didn't even sign up for?"

"But, but, but," Klaus ran out and blocked his way, earning a glare from his brother, "imagine how hurt that person would be if you so obviouslt don't give a damn? At this point, you might as well have 'I don't want to be here' carved onto your forehead. Come on! Go change into something nicer, at least take off the harness."

Letting out an annoyed huff, Diego turned back and started unstrapping the leather belts. "Why are you so pissed about this?" Klaus sat on his bed with his legs crossed, "You haven't gone out and have fun in a long while, I don't see the harm in this."

"Because I don't want to?" Diego said almost matter-of-factly, "Allison is trying to set me up with one of her friends and knowing her social circle, they are probably one of those flashy attention seekers that got close with her to get famous. I'm not even sure if that is actually her friend or just someone who doesn't mind hopping from date to date."

Klaus smirked and let out a dry laugh, "Look at you making assumptions before even meeting the person. Do you know anything about your date?"

"Apparently, they were one of the writers for the last film she was in. They offered to help babysit Clare once when sis was having a press release which was how they got close in the first place." Diego paused for a second and added, "And they make a banging lasagna, although I don't see the point in her telling me that. It is not even a proper date."

"A writer huh? Doesn't sound that bad. Maybe they would be interested in whatever the hell you do, you know how writers tend to like the weirdest things."

"Ha, ha. Very funny Klaus." Diego rolled his eyes, "I'm telling you, I'm only doing this because Allison is such a bother when she insists on something."

"Whatever you say," Klaus threw his hands up in the air as a sign of surrender, "but you really need to consider you clothing options. Oh! I can borrow you one of my shirts! No? Ok."

"You're gonna like him, I assure you." Allison held your hands. You had 20 minutes before you leave your house and you had not felt so nervous since you handed your last script to a director.

"And if I don't?"

"Then it is his fault for not impressing you enough to like him."

"What if he doesn't like what me enough to want to impress me?"

"Then he's missing out because you are way too good for him anyways."

You gave her a small smile. Sometimes you wonder how you were so lucky to have such an amazing person in your life. "You know what scares me the most?" you said softly, finally gaining enough courage to tell her what was truly bothering you, "What if when he sees me, I really like him and he knows it?"

Allison did not know how to respond to what you just said and you carried on, "What am I suppose to do when that happens? I'm not prepared to open up my life to someone new, I'm scared that it would only leave me heartbroken once again. What should I do then?"

"Oh, (y/n)..." Allison walked over and pulled you into a tight hug, "Thank you for opening up to me. I'm sorry that I haven't thought of this in the first place. Diego can be an assholes sometimes but he is a softie deep inside and I'm sure that he won't do anything to hurt you." She pulled back and felt a lot more relieved when she saw your smile, "And if he does, brother or not I will skin him alive."

"Damn, girl. Aren't you aggressive?" you gave her a grin which earned you a smack on the arm. Checking the wall clock, you got up as you saw the time, "I should go, wouldn't want to be late on a date.

"Now that's the attitude I was looking for!"

"Why are you so defensive?" Klaus yelled, beyond frustrated after Diego once again refused to get out of his usual patrolling outfit.

"I'm not defensive!" Diego said, emphasizing on the second word. "I'm just annoyed that I am doing this stupid thing when there are other ways I can spend my time instead!"

"Like what?" Klaus groaned, "Why are you dismissing the possibility that you might actually meet a nice person and have a good time?"

"Because no good person in their right mind would want to be stuck with me!" Diego yelled back, "Hell! I might be meeting the most amazing person on earth but why should that matter when I'm just gonna ruin them like I ruin everyone that came before?" His outrage left Klaus at shook. He had guessed that his brother was still deeply insecure and doubtful of his own lifestyle and felt guilty after what happened to Patch but not anything like this. Having a pretty messed up life himself, Klaus was never the best at comforting people but there was nothing he could do but try when his brother was so visibly vulnerable.

"But that wasn't your fault," Klaus said softly with his hand on Diego's back, "you can't keep on letting that holding you back from ever being happy again, you know?"

Diego sighed, "Maybe you're right. But I'm not even sure if I can still fall in love with someone after all that."

Klaus pulled him in for a hug. It was strange for the both of them, seeing as they didn't have the most intimate relationship but Diego appreciated his effort nevertheless.

"So which shirt should I wear, again?"

"Finally you're listening! I feel like I was about to lose my mind."

You stood outside the restaurant, nervously checking the time on your phone. At this point, you weren't even sure if being early is a good thing or not. You felt your heart pounding harder everytime the minutes of the clock moved. Thoughts on the probabily of getting ditched even before knowing who you were seeing was about to start messing with your mind when you heard a deep voice calling out for you.

"Hey, uh, you're (y/n) right? Sorry that my sister dragged you into this, she was very keen on getting me to go out with someone."

You looked up and found yourself in front of this beautiful man. Realizing that staring at someone without saying anything might be a bit creepy, you reached out and gave him a quick handshake along the lines of brief self-introduction.

Taking a better look at your date, you noticed that he was rather well-built.

"Nice shirt."

"Thanks, my brother forced me to wear it, said that it compliments my frame, whatever that means." he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment and smiled. __Damn, that smile. __

"Should we go in?" he said, realizing that you two had been standing out there for an oddly long time and you hummed in response. Giving him an appreciative nod as he held the door for you, you thought to yourself "Ok, maybe this isn't as bad as I thought it would be."

****Bonus****

__(You have 3 new messages)__

-how was the date?

-Diego?

-?

Good morning to you too sis

-so how was it

-and what do you mean 'good morning' it is noon

well

I was tired after getting to know your friend last night;)

-DIEGO


	5. Ben Hargreeves- Moving On

****Description: You were doing fine, moved on as everyone told you to. Until you were forced to return to the town that haunts you in your dreams.****

****Warning: angst****

__Playlist:__

__Lookalike/Conan Gray__

__The Ghost of You/My Chemical Romance__

__Cancer/My Chemical Romance__

* * *

It was a lie when you told them that you had moved on.

You genuinely thought that you did, until issues with the family property forced you to go back to the town you grew up in and you were once again reminded of the very reason you avoided this place with all your might.

And it all hurt too much, that everything in this place reminded you of him.

Standing in front of the lawn that you once called home, you stared at the vacant sign with a strange sense of melancholy in your heart. Nothing really changed, the broken tiles of the pavement never got repaired, you could still see the peeled paint of the fence. Yet, everything felt different and it wasn't until you heard the laughter from a group of children passing by that it hit you. It used to be you and him laughing by the sidewalk.

_"___It was cool and all but then Luke decided that it would be funny if he poured the entire glass of milk on Kevin but then he actually got caught by the headmaster and…" you rambled, trying your best to recall everything that happened. You paused mid-sentence and let out an embarrassed chuckle as you realized that you had been going on and on about your day that you hadn't even asked your friend about his. __

_"___Sorry, that must have bored you." You looked up to see the large grin on Ben's face. "No, it's fine," he said, still smiling, "I like hearing you talk." You felt the heat creeping up your cheeks and lowered your head to hide your shyness. Seeing your reaction, Ben bent down to look at you and you laughed at the close up of his face right in front of you. "Tell me more about it." Ben said eagerly. You smiled and continue telling the story of how someone broke into a fight in the cafeteria. __

_"___And that's why we are banned from using glass utensils from now on." You looked at your friend with his eyes fixed on you, "Honestly, I don't get how you're always so interested in what happened at school. Nothing much happens, really." __

_"___I don't know," Ben said, looking at the ground as he speaks, "I guess I just want to know what it's like to be normal." You knew that Ben had never been happy with the life he had and nothing hurts you more than seeing him so upset. "Well," you tried to comfort him, "saving people is cool."__

_"___But I don't want to. I just want to be normal, go to school, make friends," Ben's voice got softer, "I'm tired of being a monster." You frowned, "Ben, you're not a monster." "Of course I am," Ben bitterly replied, "there are literally tentacles coming out of my body." __

_"___Your powers don't define you," you said, getting more emotional as you speak, "you're my best friend and one of the kindest people I know. I mean, you tried so hard to be good and it says way more about who you are than your powers. So please, give yourself more credit." You paused for a while and reluctantly added, "And tentacles are cool too." __

__Ben chuckled and you smiled in relief. "So," you said cheerily, "tell me about your day, I want to know everything." Ben looked away and fidgeted with his hands, "No, nothing interesting happened, really…"__

_"___Oh, come on! But I told you everything!"__

_"___I promised that I won't tell anyone."__

_"___Please please please please-"__

_"___Ok fine. So Klaus got a bit nauseous after Diego told him to lick a battery…"__

You smiled upon recalling the happy memories you had in this place yet you couldn't help but remember what happened years later and the joy was soon replaced by a heavy feeling in your chest. You quickly left as an attempt to stop your mind from wondering any further down the lane you knew it was going. You had to brush it off, just like how you did all those times that familiar figure popped up in your mind.

__(You've moved on, so stop thinking about it.)__

* * *

You slowed down after noticing how far you had gotten. You didn't realize how frantic you were until you finally stopped and panted from how fast you walked. Taking a deep breath to calm down, you took in your surroundings to see that you were in a neighborhood you used to hang out with your friends in. You were taken back and slightly jumped when you felt a tap on your shoulder while you were deep in thoughts.

"(y/n)? Is it really you? I haven't seen you in ages!"

You turned around to see a familiar face smiling at you. You were sure that you know this person yet none of the names that popped up in your mind seemed to match this face you were looking at.

"I'm Jamie? We had English together in high school and we went out once?"

"Oh! Jamie right? I remember you!" Truths be told, you hadn't thought of him ever since you graduated high school. But you did vividly remember the night you went out with him, for a reason very different to what he might have expected.

__You were frantically searching you drawers when you heard a knock on your window. You looked out to see a tentacle holding on to the window's frame tightly. You pulled Ben inside your room and he sat on the floor, panting "Thank god, you finally let me in. I've been hanging onto your window for minutes and I didn't think I could hold on to it any longer."__

__Normally, you would be delighted to see that your friend managed to sneak out but you were so stressed that you couldn't focus on anything. "Ben, do you remember where I put my contact lenses after I wore them last time?" you asked, so desperate that you did not even think for a second that he might be even more clueless than you were. Ben furrowed his eyebrows, "Well.. have you checked that upper shelf in your closet?" You walked over to your closet and let out a relieved sigh when you finally saw the case you were looking for. "Why are you looking for your lenses?" Ben asked, "You don't wear them unless it is a special occasion. Wait... Why are you all dressed up?"__

__You stopped at your tracks upon hearing his question and a strange feeling of guilt washed over you. "I, uh... I might be going on a date?" you said, trying to pretend like it was completely casual by shrugging a little bit. Why did you feel uncomfortable telling Ben that you were seeing someone? It's not like you did anything wrong.__

_"___Oh," Ben averted his gaze from you, "Well, with who?" __

__You turned around, pretending to fix your hair in the mirror. "A guy I met at school, he sat next to me in class." you said and you carefully studied Ben's reaction in the mirror. "So you like this person? I suppose?" You tried to think of a proper answer, "He has a cute smile." He did not say anything and the two of you stayed there in silence. __

__After a while, you heard the sound of a window opening and turned to see Ben climbing out of the window. "I guess I should go, since there's no point for me to stay here if you're not free," he said and gave you a quick smile, "have fun on your date." Not giving any chance to respond, he jumped off the window and disappeared from your sight. "Wait! Ben-" you wanted to stop him but was interrupted by the ring of the doorbell. You grunted and quickly grabbed your things before leaving your room.__

__You opened your door to see Jamie with a huge grin on his face. "Ready to go?" he asked, holding his arm out to you. You felt uneasy with his formality but took his arm anyways. Walking onto the street, you caught a glimpse of Ben running away from the corner of your eye. You were shocked by how much you wanted to call out to him. "Are you ok?" the voice next to you brought you back to reality and you gave your date a weak smile to assure him that you were alright. __

__It was not until later that night when he walked you home that you noticed how much his smile reminded you of Ben's.__

You remember that night like no other. Because looking back, you knew by now that you should have realized it was Ben you were in love with.

While talking to Jamie, you felt an ache in your chest whenever he smiled at what you said. You silently cursed to yourself, how did he still kept the same smile after so many years? You felt so relieved when you finally ended your conversation with him, it was getting harder and harder to conceal the face that your mind was trying to brought up.

__(It's time to move on. Please, I want to move on.)__

You felt tired and your mind was in a state of blank. Your walking through the street without a destination in mind, it was like your legs were moving on their own will. But you recognized the road you were walking on, and you could feel you hands shaking at the idea of where you were heading towards. Stop, stop. Every ounce of your will power was telling you to turn back but you gave in to your conscience that told you that you actually wanted to keep moving.

It was when you pushed open the gates of the Umbrella Academy that you regretted not backing out.

You looked at the portraits of the family as you walked along the corridor, your heart skipping a beat when you saw the first painting without the figure of Ben. You quickened your pace, forcing yourself to not look at any of the portraits to come and headed outside instead.

You liked the Hargreeves' garden. But standing in front of the statue of your dead friend, even the plants seemed to be mocking your pain as you stared.

"This does not look anything like him."

You were startled by the interruption of your silence and turned around to face the owner of the voice. "It's been long since you were here." Klaus said, standing next to you and looked at the statue. You said in what sounded like a whisper, "It was." He looked at you while your gaze never left the statue, "The way you moved away right after the accident happened, I wasn't expecting to see you any sooner." You let out a bitter laugh, "Trust me, I tried really hard to stay away from this place. I wouldn't have come back if I didn't have to."

Klaus didn't press you to go any further but he was still looking at you. You were not that close with Klaus and the image you had of him was mostly based off of what Ben had told you. Yet, at this moment when you felt so vulnerable, you couldn't help but saying everything you had been holding in since you got back to this town. "I knew that I was not ready to come back and face everything I left," you said in defeated manner, "And when I finally thought I could do it, that it no longer bothers me, the fact that every god damn thing I've came across since I arrived still hurt me brought a way bigger impact on me than I thought it would." Klaus seemed to be unsettled by what you said, "It was hard for you to lose your closest friend and-"

"Klaus, I was in love with your brother."

His eyes widened and he slightly narrowed his gaze to an empty space next to him. You did not noticed how uncomfortable he seemed to be and continued, "I imagined a future with him and he died. I escaped from this place to forget about everything I've felt for him but then I came back and, god, I still want that. I still want all those things we had planned to do together. I want a life with him." You could feel tears forming in your eyes and you laughed to cover up how much it torn you to say all these things out loud for the first time, "Hell, I'm not even sure if he knew."

"Trust me," Klaus said softly, "he does." You forced out a chuckle, "how are you so sure?"

"Because he is right here with me."

You froze and the forced smile slowly left your face. You were not sure what that felling was. Were you happy to know that your friend was, in some sense, still existing on this world or did it pain you more to be so close yet so far from the person that you would give your soul to talk to again?

"And he wants to tell you that he had loved you for so long, that his biggest regret was never getting the chance to say goodbye."

That broke you. This was all too much for you to handle.

You tried to held it back but the tears sliding down your cheeks had betrayed you. Barely able to speak through the pain in your throat, you forced the sounds out between sobs, "I think I should go."

"(y/n)..."

"It was... nice talking to you," you turned to give him a smile with all your might, knowing full well that Ben was watching you as well, "I'll try to come by again."

Running out of the building, you leaned on the wall when you were certain that no one was around. What used to be silent sobs turned in sharp cries as you gave up trying to hold back.

__(If there is no turning back, then why can't I find a reason to move on?)__


End file.
